The US Embassy said in a statement that it is “disappointed” by the decision of the National Bank of Romania to release coins bearing the image of interwar BNR governor Mihail Manoilescu.
“Manoilescu was an active promoter of and contributor to fascist ideology and anti-Semitic sentiment in Romania, which ultimately led to the country’s darkest period. While the U.S. Embassy acknowledges Romania’s right to celebrate the traditions of its institutions, these celebrations should not include images of people who have been condemned by history and, through honoring them, validate them. Doing so runs counter to Romania’s establishment of democratic institutions, its embrace of the rule of law, and its protection of fundamental human rights,” said the embassy.
In a separate statement made last week, the National Institute for the Study of the Holocaust Ellie Wiesel said that NBR’s decision to issue this coin “can contribute to the promotion of an anti-democratic and xenophobic nationalism model that is also anti-Semitic.”
The central bank’s initiative has also been criticized by the US Holocaust Memorial Museum.
Ovidiu Posirca
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